


growth in the gloom.

by duelbraids



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 03:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21008900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duelbraids/pseuds/duelbraids
Summary: edelgard wakes from a nightmare and claude realizes that they might have more in common than once thought.





	growth in the gloom.

Typically, people weren’t screaming in Garreg Mach Monastery. And when they were, it wasn’t out of fear, in the dead of night, as if some murderer had snuck into the student’s quarters. Claude had heard screams of frustration at books, and of course, the sounds of training right before curfew. But a shrill shriek of terror, coming from the Black Eagle’s very own Edelgard?

Well, it must be something truly terrifying. 

So, he doesn’t knock before entering, instead, flinging the door open with one movement. Prepared for anything, Claude brings a dagger from its sheath. If anyone asked, he might say that he wanted to see what frightened the stoic to-be emperor. Or perhaps he’d brush off the question - wouldn’t  _ you  _ run to your fellow student’s rescue? Claude was not want to answer why he was quick to Edelgard’s rescue, not truthfully.

When he enters, there isn’t some large, looming figure. There isn’t some terror, wearing the mask of a horrid demon. No, the room is empty, except for Edelgard, who is bolt upright in bed, one arm reaching forward, as if to push someone away. She stares at him, wide eyed and distracted by the blade in his hand. “What are you doing here-” 

“You were  _ screaming,  _ Edelgard.” he reminds her, chastises, even, and puts away the dagger. “I thought you were in danger.” 

Edelgard turned her head away, and Claude barely got a glimpse of the blush, across the strip of her nose. Shame, which was, perhaps, the worst reason to see Edelgard’s blush. “Well, I was not. Can you  _ please  _ leave?” She did not say it as a question, her tone commanding.

“Can I? Sure.” Claude’s voice is quiet, but he still sounds jovial, and he knows that Edelgard is preparing for him to follow it up with a wisecrack, “I could leave, but it wouldn’t be right, now would it?” He closes the door behind him, and moves to be close to Edelgard. 

It is then that he gets a good look over her face. Her eyes are red, puffy, with the remnants of dried tears around the corners. There is something to her color, too, how pallid she has become. Claude sits next to her, on the side of her bed. “Is it the same nightmare?” he asks - in theory, he shouldn’t  _ know  _ about her nightmares, but he could hear her thrashing about at night. There were very few answers for that, and the alternatives were not things Claude wanted to entertain. 

Surprisingly, she does not lash out, nor does she argue against it. Instead, she admits it, saying, “They are always the same.” Dejected, Edelgard looks at the floor, at anything but Claude. 

“Do you need to talk about it?” 

She looks up, almost surprised, and Claude can only guess as to why. Perhaps he’s not been as sincere with her as he should, but she shakes her head. “I don’t think I’m  _ ready  _ to talk about it. Not yet.” 

As valid a response as any, he supposed. Claude wrapped an arm ‘round her shoulders, gingerly at first. Telling her - he’ll move, if she asks. But, Edelgard doesn’t. No, she nuzzled closer to him, letting herself relax. When she does, he squeezes a bit tighter. She fits so perfectly, in the crook of his arm. “You’ll be alright.” Claude whispers into her hairline, letting his lips linger. How easy it would be to press them to her forehead. But, Claude hesitates, and instead, he adds, “I’ll protect you.” 

A pause, before Edelgard’s nose wrinkles up, “Why are you awake? I didn’t wake you, did I?” 

He can’t help but chuckle a bit, before debating. It would be just as well for her to know, that he too suffered from horrible nightmares. But, then, that  _ certainly  _ would break his easy-going facade. So, he keeps it up in the air, a non committal answer, even as he rests his chin on her head, “We’re all battling something, Princess.”

She accepts the answer. They stay like that, for a little while. Edelgard’s breathing settles, and after a while, even begins to slow. In kind, Claude feels himself slipping to sleep, though he certainly wasn’t tired before. Distant sounds are the only thing that keeps him awake, the wandering of other students, the march of the guards. Garreg Mach never truly asleep. Perhaps that’s why it unsettled him so. 

Almost mindlessly, Claude kisses her cheek. As if he didn’t mean to do it. He realizes it, and waits for her to get angry, to rebuke him.

But, she’s asleep. She must be - her eyes are shut, and there’s even a smile on her lips. With the last bit of his energy, Claude moved to tuck her in, laying Edelgard back down. “Sleep well,” he whispers, breathy. 

Before he can put the blanket around her, Edelgard grips his forearm. There’s a sadness in her eyes, when he turns to leave. “Stay,  _ please. _ ” 

“I never thought I’d see the day when Her Highness would welcome me into her bed.” Despite his teasing, Claude does join her, resting his head on her pillow. Edelgard lays atop him, and when he glances down, the typical reaction of annoyance is absent. No, Edelgard is smiling at his little joke, her head laying softly against his chest. 

Before he falls asleep, Claude sees Edelgard’s hand reaching for his, entangling with it as if they were always meant to be. 

**Author's Note:**

> edelclaude! crimes! on! main!


End file.
